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St Margaret’s Academy is closing the gap between rich and poor when it comes to exam success.

That means more students staying on at school and having more opportunities when they leave.

Greg McDowall, acting head teacher, of the Catholic high school in Livingston, and himself a former pupil, delivered an upbeat assessment of the last school year to a meeting of the East Livingston and East Calder Local Area Committee.

He said: “If you look at our performance in Quintile 1, our most deprived students, against Quintile 5, our most affluent, you can see a significant reduction in the attainment gap in the last three years in the number of people achieving five or more qualifications.

“In 2017 that gap was a 25% difference between Q1 and Q5. In 2018 that gap was down to 20% This year we are down to 15%.”

St Margaret’s Academy (Image: Google)

He added: “What that demonstrates is that our young people are staying on in school to achieve qualifications. In the longer term what that means is that we are looking at ways to open up the curriculum to ensure that success continues. We are particularly pleased with that performance.”

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As the school enters its 25th year it has cemented its place within the community. More than 300 parents attended a summer barbecue. Parents also receive regular newsletters updating them on school and community related activities and senior pupils are becoming involved in community life such as community councils. The school also has long established links to local parishes.